Songs from Rancho Camulos — Music Folio

Traditions of the del Valle Family Household

Item Number: BK-201 CAL $10.00

In 1903 the ardent promoter of the cultures of the Southwest, Charles Fletcher Lummis, took on
an immense project. With his charter in hand for the Southwest Society, a chapter of the Archaeological Institute of
America, he purchased an Edison wax cylinder recording machine and proceeded to “catch our archaeology alive”
by recording hundreds of the disappearing songs of the californios and Native Americans of the region.

Those of the Edison wax cylinders that are still extant reside at the Southwest Museum’s
Braun Research Library in Highland Park, now part of The Autry Center.

This music book reflects a small part of that collection — specifically the songs that Lummis
collected from Rancho Camulos, a rancho
located just west of Magic Mountain, north of Los Angeles. This rancho was the home of the del Valle family,
and is now open as a museum.

Many of these pieces are “sister duets”, with original harmony arrangements. The
transcriptions include lead lines, with harmony lines for most pieces, and the accompanying chords are indicated for
guitar players or other chording instruments. The books are bound in comb bindings so they’ll stay open. Also
included is an Index, a First Line Index and a Phrase Index. These transcriptions finally make this music accessible
and available for performers and scholars.

All of these pieces are included in the ten-volume Music of Early California collection, although they are scattered among the various years. If you
already have that work, you may not want this one.

Item Number: CD-020 CAM $15.00

Charles Lummis with the del Valles

Charles Lummis poses at Rancho Camulos with women from the del Valle family. Lummis recorded 22
pieces from the del Valle family and one more from Jesus Rodríguez who worked there.

Charles Lummis recorded only songs with words, even though some of his informants also played dance tunes,
and even though this photograph shows that he was familiar with the dances known by the del Valle family.

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